Valve-spring compressor



July 15, 1930. E. E. TROYER ET AL VALVE SPRING COMPRESSOR Filed April 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet YINVENTOIR 4 W 2, /awwj. Jkzzgy ATTORNEY LII Patented July 15, 1930 r EDWIN E. TROYER AND JAMES SHUEY, OF MILTON, OREGON VALVE-SPRING COMPRESSOR 'Application filed April 3,

This inventionrelates' to spring handling tools and has as one-of its objects to provide a .tool that will seize an' article in two directions and in inaccessible places. i

Another object of the invention is to provide a tool that is primarily designed to grip and compress yielding parts, such as springs, securely and with a minimum of effort, and that is not restricted to use on springs alone.

A further obj ect of the invention is to provide a tool adapted for valve removing on gas engines of the tappet valve type or the like and that is adapted to remove the valves of any make of engine.

A further object of the invcntion'isto provide a tool that is eXpansible to a degree to seize and compress any present day valve spring. 7

A further object of the invention is to pro- 20 vide a tool that will remove springs and also remove the washer at the same'time.

A further object of the invention is to provide a tool that is applicable for use independent of any part of the engine.

' A. further object of the invention is to provide a tool that can install a spring by compressing it before it is placed in position.

A further object of the invention is to provide a tool that will permit the work to be done beneath the tool instead of between the jaws. I i

A further object of the invention is to provide a tool that will secure a spring for perfect safety, and that is cheap to manufacture.

TVith these and other objects in view, reference is now had to the drawings in which Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the spring handling tool in a position reparatory to seizing aspring;

Fig. 2is a front elevation thereof;

' Fig.3 is a side elevation of the tool in a position compressing a spring;

Fig. l is a front elevation thereof;

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the tool showing the gripping jaw expanded; 'g; 6 shows one application of the device;

and

Fig. 7 is a sectional viewof the valve spring cap and key assembly.

. of the valve stem 1929; Serial no. 352,118;

Having reference to the drawings like numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views and the numeral'l relates to a fragment of a gas engine which consists of a cylinder 2, a valve port 3, a frame a, a valve E5? 5, a valve stem 6, a bushing 7, a tappet 8, a tappet guide 9, tappet adjusting nuts 10,

a door 11, and an; apron 12, all associated together in the usual manner of such construction and assembly as is well known in the to art. I

Encircling the valve stem is a valve spring 13 whichwhenextended-and in the operable position seats at its upper end in a washer 1%, or against a part of the framework of the engine, while its lower end is secured on. the valve stem by a valve spring cap pin 16, or key,this last assembly being shown in 7. Where an engine is designed that the valve spring 13 is wholly exposed upon removal of the inspection plate17 (showndotted in Fig.

1) the usual method employed to remove the valve is to insert a tool in the valve port 3 and beneath the valve spring cap and forcibly. raising that member against the tension of the spring until the valve spring cap key 16 is exposed and then insert the fingers or some necessary tool between two parts of a spring lifting device and withdrawing the key.

When the parts are thus freed the valve 5 will be removed in the usual manner, but the spring 13, owing to its expansion will still be engaged at its upper end by the bushing 7 and at itslower end by. the tappet nuts 10, andb eing thus engaged must be forcibly removed from the tappet nuts, with the attendant danger, as a preliminary to its coinplete removal.

Wherean apron 12 covers more or less of the spring it is obviously more difficult to 16- 99 move the spring as the apron forms an obstacle in the way of the work of forcing the spring off of the tappetnuts oroffof-the end bushing 7, and for the purpose o-f overcoming these objections aspring handling tool 18 is. devised which consists of'a compressor 19 comprising two jaws, one of which is designed to seat the jbottom end of. the spring and for this purpose of a box jaw 20 split to p ovi e wo remounting upon which the respective jaws edlowerbar23 formedof two oppositel V positinned bars and arranged to provide or the yielding expansion of the. split box jaw whereby it may be easily applied to the spring and cap of various sizes without adjustment manually. p

The other jaw is termed a gripping jaw 24 it being designed and adapted to engage 7 both sides of the spring 13 and to grip the end coil of the spring or any of its uppermost coils, and for this purpose consists of a pair of independently operable jaws 25 arranged for lateral movement as against the vertical movem nt of the gripping and box jaws, with which it cooperates when compressing the spring.

The gripping jaw 24 is extended upward asat 24", and is shaped with a curvature adlipted to conform to the curvature of the largest spring engageable within the range of the-tool, and this jaw is equipped on its uppet and with dogs 26 adapted to seat over the top of the spring or engage the spring by insertion between its coils, and its lower end 27 is of a size and general form to permit the box jaw to nest therein when the tool is in the closed position, as shown in Figs. 3, 4t

and 6. r

The gripping jaw is provided with an extended upper bar 28 positioned in oiisct relation to the gripping jaw and preferably perpendicular thereto, in a manner that when the tool is closed for insertion in inaccessible places the extended portion 24 of the jaw will be at a relatively great distance above the floor 21 of the box jaw so that when the tool is opened the dogs will be in a position to seize the upper part of the spring preparatory to its compression, and in a mannor to be explained.

The upper bar 28 is disposed to provide one handle of the device and being rigid with the gripping jaw enables the operator to positio'u the gripping jaw unerringly;

' Thou per bar is in generally parallel relation win the lower bar :20 and the rear end 29 ofth'e lower bar is pivotally attached to and between the respective members formin theupper bar andthus provides a pivota hin 'l ioperate these jaws and their respective bars, a lever handle 30 is provided which sdats' between the members (if-the respective V The pin 31 acting as a fulcrum for the lever handle and connecting both handle members is secured by a nut 34 at one end and on its other end a cam handle 35 is attached, which cam handle when closed against the outer 7 member tends to positively close the gripping jaw 24 independent of the movement of the compressor 19, in other words the gripping jaw may thus be closed with a movement in a horizontal plane and independent of the action of the compressor.

The fulcrum pin 31 is preferably left free to rotate in the extended member and lever handle and by this means the cam handle may be turned in any direction suitable to the workman and preparatory to closing the gripping jaw which is a desirable feature where other parts, as gasoline pipes or the like, obstruct the free opration of the device. Spacing springs 36 are provided with the fulcrum pm and are positioned to maintain the members of the upper jaw and the lever handle in their respective positions and to assist maintaining the gripping jaw in the open position,

As the box jaw and gripping jaw are intended to nest when closed it is obviously necessary that the lever handle close downward closely against the upper bar, as shown in Figs. 3 and 6. This is also essentialfor economy in packin and for other reasons.

\Vith the abovem mind a locking link 37 is provided to secure the jaws in a fixed relative position and to withstand the tension 01 the compressed spring and this link consists of a mutilated link provided with a split end 38 having opposite portions which rest upon and engage the top of the upper bar, with its body turned downward to encircle the lower barin a manner to secure the bars in a fixed relative position.

To lock the two bars in this position the link is slidably mounted thereon with the mutilation occurring adjacent to the lever handle. thus it is obvious that there will be no restriction to the movement of this handle therethrough, nor to the sliding movement of the link.

In use and preparatory to insertion in the valve portthe tool will have its box jaw and gripping jaw closed and the gripping jaw opened laterally, and in this position the box jaw may be readily inserted under the'spring re -mesa 7 whether there is an apron or not.

Vith the grippingjaw open the position of the box aw with respect to the work will 7 be plainly visible thus positioning.

lVith the box jaw engaged the lever handle is raised, which in turn raises the gripping jaw to the proper distance, when the cam handle will be manipulated and the jaw will close upon the spring. It will be noted here that the tool is under no strain while setting it to position and hence by not having to'contend against the tension of the spring the tool may be set with the greatest ease and in the least time.

There now remains the act of compressing facilitating its proper the spring which is accomplished by moving the handles together and then manipulating the locking link to lock the aws in position.

As the spring is now compressed it is obvious that the whole spring may be raised and it, with the tool, will thus be completely out of the way providing the maximum freedom of movement of the workman while withdrawing the key.

At this stage the device becomes exceptionally useful in that the spring compressed, and with the weight of the handle of the tool acting naturally to place the spring in a cramped position on the valve stem, this cramping will automatically support the 3 tool in a desired position out of the way of the workman, and second, that when the key 16 is removed, raising the handle slightly will permit the spring and tool to drop down to the tappet nuts when by lifting on the whole with the spring cramped on the valve stem the valve may be lifted until the workman can grip it at its upper end for final removal, and with the valve stem removed out of the spring, and with the spring compressed, it is again obvious that the spring may be removed from the valve ports regardless of any apron and directly'and with the least effort.

For use for valve in head motors the tool may be inverted and thus force the top of the spring downward when the valve spring key may be readily removed.

Having thus described our invent-ion, we claim:

1. In a spring handling tool, a compressor comprising a box jaw and agripping aw, said gripping jaw consisting of a pair of independently operable aws having dogs adapted to engage the coils of a spring, and cooperable with said box jaw, and means to operate said jaws.

2. In a spring handling tool, a compressor comprising'a pair of nestable jaws consisting of a box jaw and agripping jaw, and lever handles adapted to operate said jaws in a vertical plane, and provided with a cam handle adapted to operate saidgripping jaw in ahorizontal plane. V

3.1'In a spring handling tool, a compressor comprising' a yieldingly expansible box aw and a positively operating gripping jaw, said box j aw being positioned to engage one end of a spring and said gripping jaw being extendedto" grip the other end of said spring,- 7

and lever handles "attached to said jaws and positioned in offset relation to said gripping 121W. 7, e, 4. In a spring handling tool, a compressor comprising a box jaw adaptedto engage one end of a spring, and provided with an ex-' tended lower bar, and a gripping jaw extended and adapted to grip opposite sides of the other end of said spring, and provided with an extended upper bar, positioned in offset relation to said gripping jaw, said upper bar pivotally mounting said lower bar, and forming a handle member, a lever handle fulcrumed to said upper bar and pivotally attached to said lower bar to provide a compound lever, and a locking link slidably mounted on the upper and lower bars, adjacent to the lever handle, and provided with a split end topermit the free movement of said lever handle therethrough.

5. In a spring handling tool, a compressor comprising a box jaw adapted to engage the bottom end'of a spring, and provided with an extended lower bar, and an upwardly ex tending and laterally operable gripping jaw adapted to grip opposite sides of the top part slidably mounted on the upper bar for engagement with the lower bar, adjacent to the lever handle, and provided with a split end to permit the full movement of said lever handle therethrough.

6. In a spring handling tool, a compressor comprising a split box jaw adapted to engage the bottom end of a spring, and provided with an extended lower'bar, an upwardly ex tending and laterally operable split gripping jaw adapted to grip opposite sides of the top part of said spring, and provided with an extended upper bar, positioned in offset relation to said gripping jaw, said gripping jaw and said upper bar being arranged to cover said box jaw and said lower bar,

, and pivot-ally mounting said lower bar in said upper bar, and adapting the upper bar to form a handle member, a lever handle fulcrumed in said upper bar, and pivotally attacked to a; link connecting said .lever handle with said lower bar, to provide a compound lever, a e cam handle mounted on said upper bar at the fulcrum point to laterally operate 55 saidigrip ping jaw, and means slidably mountm signatures.

ed on and upper andlower bars to provide e lock therefor and ada ted to ermit a free movement of the lever andlet erethrough. Intestimony whereof we have uflixed our EDWIN E. TROYER. JAMES N. SHUEY. 

